(Reuters) – The New York Rangers have fired head coach Alain Vigneault after missing the playoffs for the first time in eight years, the team announced on Saturday.
The decision was revealed following the team’s 5-0 season-ending loss to the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Rangers finished dead last in the Metropolitan Division, with just 77 points, and will be an observer of the post-season for the first time since the 2009-10 campaign.
Vigneault spent five seasons at the helm, compiling a 226-147-37 record in the regular season with a playoff record of 31-30.
The 56-year-old Vigneault took the Rangers to the Stanley Cup season during his first season in New York in 2013-14.
The team lost to the Los Angeles Kings in five games.
(Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; editing by Sudipto Ganguly)
